Pokemon: A Fanfiction
by Quinsen Arce
Summary: I wanted to try something a little different. Try to imagine a parallel to the Kanto region.


_Arc I: Part 1_

My Voltorb alarm clock alerted me to get up. The Pidgey that sprung out from this alarm clock gawked at me to do so. I wake up with a sudden sensation of warm drool on my cheek. It came from a stain on my pillow where my head rested. The sound of the alarm grew louder before I finally decided to turn the damn thing off. I hated this thing, but it was a necessary annoyance. I rise up from the sheets stretching like a cat. I try to look outside from between the shades of my blind of my window next to my bed, but the morning glow resonating blisters my eyes. I decided to make breakfast. Maybe something light for my stomach couldn't down anything for the last couple of weeks. What's today, anyway? Oh, yeah…it's _that_ day. Today is the day I get my first pokemon and go on my journey. I have been debating on whether or not to actually go through with it, but what's actually stopping me? Maybe I should eat something big today. Hmmmm…well, I guess eggs and a couple of pieces of bread will suffice. Before I do anything, however, I check my clock and I have about an hour to spare. Better get cracking. I head into the empty kitchen, shuffle through the scullery and fridge, and get everything ready. Hopefully, I won't burn anything. Well…the toast could be better, but the eggs with cheese on top were particularly satisfying. I know I and my stomach will regret it later. I take a shower, comb my hair, and a red tank top and white shorts does me fine. I didn't bother ironing. I knew a big journey calls for big packing so once I get my pokemon, I had to do some proper shopping.

Now, Prof. Ebony I have always had my apprehension about meeting her. She was really young for a professor I mean, she was like in her late twenties early thirties. She is very beautiful, too. I think there is a reason why most of her roster of kids is boys when she allows the younger generation to participate in her lab research. It was just to teach them about pokemon and the like. Don't get me wrong she's friendly a little too friendly if you ask me, but she's just weird. Anyways, I am greeted by the morning sun upon exiting my house. God, I hated the sun. It always hurts my eyes. The town of Razzmic is where I live. It's nothing special just a town with a few houses and lab at the top of a hill. You can guess where I am going. I saunter up the hill where just at the top my legs were about to give. I take a deep breath and head towards the lab. It also has a windmill which is the only thing that's interesting about it. I take another deep breath and knock on the door. I wait a few seconds until a pale woman with brunet hair opens it. She looks at me with sleepy eyes and her hands dug into her lab coat. The sleeves were rolled up. Yep, that's her.

"Hi," she says with a dopey smile. She raises her hand before I introduce myself, "Stop! I know who you are…Jessica!"

I almost roll my eyes, "No, my name is…"

"Shush, I got it! It's…"

"Kuri," I say.

"Kuri," she purred.

She made it sound beautiful to an otherwise boring name. "Look, the reason why I came here is to get my own pokemon."

She arched an eyebrow, "Aren't you a little young to go out on an adventure?"

"I don't know. Ask the same question to a kid who just turned twelve."

She was silent for a moment, "Touché."

I follow her further into the lab. Amidst the whirring of machines, the fluorescent lights blaring from the white tiled ceiling were louder than anything. The tapping from Prof. Ebony's high heels echoed ahead of us.

"You look quite thin," she spoke after the antagonizing absence of knowledge of where we were actually going, "thinner than the other girls. What's your secret?"

"I didn't know you were a physician, too," I rather she not spoke.

She just shrugged and kept walking, "So why did you wait so long? To get a pokemon, I mean?"

What happened to the silence? "I had family matters to attend. I actually didn't think of it until recently.

"Hmmm…," she muttered, "Well, regardless of how old you are you still have a long journey ahead of ya. Having a companion makes it easier and more fun!"

We finally stopped when we entered a room. The room was lined with bookcases with men all dressed alike and wearing the same pair of glasses shuffling around books. Ignoring what was obviously weird, I follow the professor to the end of the room. We approached a desk with three odd red and white balls. Prof. Ebony stood behind the desk looking at me with her dopey smile.

"Inside these pokeballs, I have here three pokemon of different types. Fire, water, and grass. There are many different types out in the wild, but these are the preliminaries for beginners." One by one she threw them to the ground before she did so she clicked the button in the middle making them inflate. From a white light came three creatures. So, these are pokemon. They are cuter than I expected them to be. "The fire type is Tepig, the water type is Oshawat, and grass type is Snivy the lone female."

All three were not as interesting as the next. Fire type known as Tepig was giddy and looking up at me with beady black eyes. The water type was just the same running around in tiny circles. The grass type known as Snivy was not as eager. She seemed to have attitude crossing her tiny leaf arms and looking the other way. She had more of a personality than the others. Her apparent distain and angst might have just piqued what was left of my vanity so that is when I decided.

"I'll take the green one."

Not even a reaction from the tiny grass pokemon. The others, however, looked like they were shot down and held their heads down as they were returned to their pokeballs in a red light.

"Hooray!" she jumped into air." You picked your first pokemon! Now, you'll need these." She reached into her desk and took out what looked like a red, rectangular digital device. She handed it to me. "This will be your best friend beside your pokemon. This is an encyclopedic device which will help you identify the pokemon you encounter on your journey and record their data. It's very important you do so." I took it from her. "Oh, and don't let me forget about these!" She reached into another drawer and took out five pokeballs. "You capture and collect pokemon within these." I took them, too. Without warning she hugged me. "I'm really proud of you, Kuri. I don't know you, but I'll bet we'll be great friends." She whispered this to my ear. I wanted her to get off of me and I was just about to shove her off. "Snivy, you be nice to her all right. She'll be looked after you for now on and you better do the same."

_"__Snivy…," _Snivy said.

Prof. Ebony let go of me save for her hand on my shoulder. She looked at me with caring yet sleepy eyes. "Pokemon like it when you let them out of their pokeballs to take walks. I think Snivy would appreciate it if you did so."

Judging by this pokemon, I sincerely doubt it.

I had all the essentials needed for an adventure like a backpack, and camping gear, but I do need to shop for food which I had neglected for some time. I don't know maybe it will be different with a pokemon following me. The town adjacent to ours has a small food mart so that would be the best place to shop.

"Before we go on any journey we need some food to pack. There is a mart in the town next to ours that has more than enough to help us out. Will that be alright with you, Snivy?" I thought to at least engage with Snivy before anything really serious happens. Whenever I did talk to her, she just looked the other way. So far so good.

I never knew what the other town's name I just thought it bared the same title since only residents of Razzmic go there. I haven't been there lately and because of this everyone seemed new. I looked behind my shoulder to see how Snivy was taking everything in. She looked at everything curiously. It must have been totally different from being inside that womb that is the pokeball. She jerked her head at everything and everyone that passed by her. She got dizzy and almost tripped over herself. She somehow had enough grace to correct herself and make it seem like she wasn't making a fool of herself walking like those celebrities on the red carpet. I…we finally reached our destination. The electronic doors slid open to a menagerie of food stands and 20 percent off deals.

"Keep close," I warned Snivy, but she kept her attention on everything, but me.

She followed me, but I had to keep my eye on her. I take deep sigh, grab a cart, and grab the food needed. I should buy a new thermos. I pass by the Pokémon section where they sold pokemon brand food and other products for Pokémon. This was where an employee by a food stand caught me in his eye and leaned toward me.

"Hello, miss," he said and I stop. "Would you like to try our specialty Pokémon food brand? A sample is free."

"Ah…no, thank you, I'm stuffed." I lied

"Well, it's not for you ma'am. It's for your Pokémon."

Oh, that's right. I looked down at Snivy who looked up at the employee. "How 'bout it? Would you like some?" Of course, she rejected my advance.

"Awww, don't be like that," the employee kneeled down to Snivy with one of the food pellets from the box and handed it to Snivy. She relieved herself conceded insouciance and humored the man by eating the pellet. She seemed satisfied and smiled for the first time. The man now decided to be daring and petted Snivy at the top of her head. I was surprised, actually. "You see, you just level yourself down to the Pokémon. The world just seems too big for the little critters."

Sure, whatever.

Well, I got everything to go out on a big journey. I just need to gear up and get the fuck out of here. Snivy was just as withdrawn as ever. I guess I should feed her when I get home. I approach the hill and beyond that is Razzmic. I was too busy looking down at my Pokedex checking it out. I didn't have to look up to know precisely where I was. Before I even get to the base of the hill, a loud engine roars. I stop and look around before I realize the engine came from a blue Vespa zipping down the hill. What an idiot! He doesn't even slow down! He just keeps on going! I panic and finally decide to get out of the way rather mock his or her stupidity. I instead trip and drop my groceries. Everything falls asunder in a mess and my Pokedex flies out of my hand. I hear a screeching noise and then everything is quiet. I get up and try to ignore the pain on my knees when they made contact with the ground before falling flat on my face. I look around to find all my things covered in dirt from the dust cloud. I find the blue Vespa on its side until its owner turns it over on the right position. He looked at me.

"Hey, cutie," was the first thing out of his mouth when looking at the person he almost ran over.

He was older than I thought he would be. His jet black hair was covered in dirt along with everything else, but what caught my attention were his striking blue eyes. He was older than me, but younger than Prof. Ebony. "Don't 'hey, cutie' me! You almost ran me over, you idiot!"

"Ain't my fault you tripped over yourself." I gritted my teeth before deciding to bite his head off. "Anyways," he said wiping the dirt off of his button shirt. He seemed to be up to something. I didn't know what it was but it was his face and the sound of his voice I didn't trust. We don't get visitors like him traveling to Razzmic. "I think you should be more concern about your Pokémon more than anything. That is your Snivy isn't it?"

I look to where he pointed and saw Snivy lying on the ground. I panic and ran over to Snivy to see if she is okay. "Snivy!" I gasp and see her picking herself up. She looked the other way and continued onward to Razzmic. "Wait for me!" I grab all my stuff from the ground and saw the guy zip away on his Vespa. I looked down at my Pokedex in my hand and noticed it wasn't my Pokedex. It looked like my Pokedex, but it was sleeker, smaller and blue. I was about to yell out for him, but he was gone. Asshole.

Snivy sped across the floor to the living room. She knew where to go. She jumped on the couch and curled up in a ball silently breathing. Now, for the grunt work before heading off. In the mail, I received a package from Prof. Ebony. My heart jumped a little bit when my fingers scraped against the cardboard. I never get mail. I almost forgot everything when I stared at it from the television room. It was as if it was looking back at me. After ten minutes of a staring contest between me and the box, I finally decided to open it. Inside was what looked like a large electronic wristwatch. Before I picked it up, it rung like a phone. I opened it like a cell phone and the screen turned on with Prof. Ebony on it.

"Yo!" Prof. Ebony mused. She adjusted her thick rimmed glasses sliding off the bridge of her nose. "How are you? How's Snivy?" I looked over at Snivy still loafing on the couch.

"She's fine," I say. I suddenly remember that guy mistakenly took my Pokedex and I took his. I wondered if I should tell her.

"That's good! Look, you're probably wondering what this thing is, but it's my gift to you. It's the C-gear!"

"Uh…thanks?" I say.

"I don't have a lot of time so I'm sorry to say you'll have to figure it out on your own. I'm actually at the Kanto region right now at sea." Kanto? That's at the east right past those islands, I think. "I won't be at my lab so if you have any questions before leaving ask my Aids, okay?" She was silent for a moment and then said quietly and warmly, "Remember, though, you can always call me on this little doohickey, alright?"

"Sure," I replied.

"Okay, then, bye."

Well, goodbye home I guess I'll be seeing you whenever. Everyone in Razzmic knows that the very first gym in this region is located Ochird. Okay, well everyone but me knows so I had to ask. It's beyond the forest this I know for sure. Snivy begrudgingly followed me along. I don't know why she doesn't leave if she doesn't want to follow me in the first place. After thinking about it maybe she was just fulfilling Prof. Ebony's wishes. I once again tread on through the town I didn't know the name of. Pass here is the forest. Good thing I had a map with me or I wouldn't know where I was going. Soon civilization was gone and now wildlife took over. The trees started to obstruct my view and I then I couldn't see anything beyond them. Everything seemed to close in on me and the air was different it tasted different. The air was thicker more moist than I am used to. I look at Snivy, but she seemed quite alright with everything like nothing had changed for her. I wasn't use to this much walking so my legs were getting tired and soon Snivy was ahead of me not even waiting for me to catch up. I now notice the sky was getting darker leaving the stars exposed. Maybe it is about time we stop.

"Snivy!" I yell, but she didn't stop. I couldn't tell if she was ignoring me or couldn't hear me. Did she even understand me? "Snivy! Snivy, stop right now!" She stopped and turned around. "I think we should make camp here. It's getting dark."

She rolled her eyes and complied. It took me until nightfall when I finished making the tent and setting up the fire. Snivy just curled up in a ball and slept. I hoped she wasn't this useless in battle. I curled up, too, against the warm luminescence of the fire. Snivy had the right idea of falling asleep, but the drone of the background noises kept me up. I hold myself tighter looking around in the dark. I didn't know where they came from which was even scarier than the noises themselves. I tried to keep myself calm, but that didn't stop my heart from beating out of control. The noises of the night evaded my personal space making me squeeze my knees tight against my chest. The fire was dying out already and soon I would be lost in the darkness forever. I heard slow breathes right next to me from something right next to my ear. I turn around in almost a panic.

"Hi!" it said gleefully.

It turned out to be a girl with the most unusual pair of pink eyes. I noticed this after I stopped my heart from exploding out of my chest. My screech caused a stir in the trees.

"I haven't seen you here before," she said with a light smile.

"That's because I have never been here before," I say while refining my composure.

"Are you staying? I could use some company," she says and I thought she was joking.

"Uh…no," I replied.

She seemed sadden by what seemed to her to be a blunt statement, "Why not?"

"Because I'm…on a journey."

"Oh, what type of journey?" She tilted her head making her brown hair fall.

I actually thought about it for a second, but found no answer, "I don't know."

"Why are you all alone?"

"I don't like company."

"Oh! Is that your Snivy?"

I looked over at the still asleep green creature. "Yeah, I guess."

"You're not sure?" she crawled on all fours over to Snivy. I thought to stop her since Snivy is more than likely to bite her but I decided not to because of the way she scared me. She disturbed Snivy's rest by picking her up and setting her on her lap. Snivy sprawled around, but relaxed as soon as the pink-eyed girl petted her. Snivy purred and seemed quite content with herself. "That's a good girl," the pink-eyed girl mused.

I think Snivy does this on purpose just to irritate me. It worked. "How do you know it's a girl?"

"I just know," she said with a familiar smile, "you didn't?" I just shrugged, "You don't seem sure about anything." I was sure to ignore her. "So where are ya headed?"

"Ochird town."

"So you _are_ a trainer."

"How do you know?"

"Every trainer goes there for their first gym badge. You decided well for picking a grass type."

I wondered what that meant, but I was too tired to ask. I didn't know when, but I fell asleep soon after.

I thought not waking up to my alarm would equate to a blissful repose, but I was wrong. I woke up inside of my tent to the resonating buzzing noise of a Beedrill. My heart almost exploded and I ran out with arms in a frenzy. I rip through the flap breaking the zipper. I find myself surrounded by more Beedrill. Snivy was also in full alert of the ambush frantically looking around as I did.

"Snivy! Let's get out of here!" I yell to her. This is something she could concede to.

She runs with me with the Beedrill tailing us. I didn't know where we were going everything just looked the same. Trees, trees, trees, and trees camouflaged our line of sight. The amplitude of the Beedrill's buzzing didn't compare to the decibels rising from my heart. Every heartbeat masked the stomping of my footsteps. I ran so much that it hurt to breathe. Each laborious drag made from my tiny lungs was a snag at my sides. I suddenly trip over myself and fall into the moist dirt. After spitting out the mouthful of dirt, I yell over to Snivy.

"Snivy! Wait for me!" Surprisingly, she did stop.

She wasn't sure to halt as she saw the incoming Beedrill. She looked at me and then the other direction. She wouldn't. I couldn't wait to be drilled to death to find out the extent of Snivy's loyalty. I got up and ran with Snivy. We ran, and ran, and then ran some more. I look behind me to see the Beedrill still gaining on us. Did we, like, sleep in their territory or something? I look in front of me and I run over the edge of a cliff with Snivy. I grab onto Snivy as we fell and tumbled down the rocky hill. I hit the bottom and let go of Snivy. I could get up and I knew the Beedrill were coming. I look at Snivy trying to get up. It was no use.

"Ugh…Snivy…," I was hurting too much, but Snivy turned around to look at me. "…you need to get out of here…ow…they'll get to me first so you'll have a head start." She looked at me frozen. I try to stand up and slowly manage to get to my feet and use the last of my energy to turn around and face the Beedrill. "Why are you standing there? Just go! Get out of here!" From the corner of my eye, she still stands there dumbfounded. She probably doesn't like it that I'm giving her the order.

The Beedrill come into view and I take a deep breath before closing my eyes bracing myself for a world of hurt.

"GO AWAY!" I hear suddenly. I open my eyes which took more than enough energy. It was the pink-eyed girl! She stood in front of me waving her arms like an idiot. "GO AWAY! GO OVER THERE!" she pointed to the left and the Beedrill turned to that direction. "GO OVER THERE!" I couldn't believe it they actually listened and were out of sight. As soon as their buzzing faded into the background, this girl turned to me. "I guess I should of told you were sleeping on Beedrill breeding ground." She smiled at me.

I just looked at her. With all my energy drained I say, "Yeah…that…that would have been helpful."

The pink-eyed girl led me and Snivy to a building right outside Ochird. This building was used as a hub for trainers passing through to Ochird. The pink-eyed girl troubled herself by patching me up, but I thought I just needed a good cleaning. After she finished, she told me to head to the PokeCenter to properly treat Snivy. She said she would lead me there before heading off on her own. We left the hub to be welcomed by the gray city of Ochird. It was especially dreary since the amorphous clouds draped the town in shadow. Geez, talk about depressing. Snivy and I followed the pink eyed girl through the seemingly empty town to a building with a red roof. Someone had dressed the walls of this building with graffiti with a prominent red spiral as its motif.

"Okay," said the pink-eyed girl turning around to face me, "this is the PokeCenter and this is where we part." She smiled, but it was a sad smile. She then hugged me real tight pressing her body against mine, "Goodbye." She let go just before I was then startled by a flock of Pidgeys ascending over head. I was a little jumpy after getting out of the forest, but when I looked back at the pink-eyed girl she was gone.

I was too tired to deal with these things so I just let myself in the PokeCenter. We were greeted by elevator music and just across from us behind a service desk stood a smiling pink-haired woman. Right next to her was a Chansey. This place was a tranquil undertone to an otherwise morbid environment. I went over to the pink-haired lady. I didn't have to say anything, she knew I was there.

"Hello," she said like a robot, "my name is Nurse Joy and I will be tending to your Pokémon as of the moment. Care is free of charge."

Free of charge? It was cool since I didn't have any money on me. I sent Snivy back into her Pokeball and handed her over to the lady. She handed the Pokeball to Chansey who took it over to the back. Nurse Joy just stood there with that plain smile looking at nothing as she was a couple seconds ago. After finally receiving a fully recovered Snivy, I decided to ask about the gym. "Do you know where the gym is?" Nurse Joy said nothing, "Hello? Do you know where the gym is?"

"Hello, my name is Nurse Joy and I will be tending to your Pokémon as of the moment. Care is free of charge."

Okay, so after looking everywhere in this empty town I finally stumbled upon a huge building with a sign that read "Ochird Gym." I guess this is it. This going to be my first gym battle. I walk inside to find everything shrouded in darkness.

"Hello?" My voice echoes, but no one answers. "I'm a trainer from Razzmic and I'm here to face the gym leader." Still nothing, but after several moments of silence a bright light turns on. It's brighter than the sun.

I discovered that I set foot onto a rocky platform with jagged rocks pointing up from the ground. Across from me was a old man seated on a rock. He kept himself from falling over by a cane. He scratched his chin, "You're here to face me?"

"I guess," I shrugged.

"You're not sure?" his voice croaked. "Well, I'm pretty sure I haven't faced a lovely young lady in a while," he chuckled.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be, creepo." I get my pokeball ready as does the same.

"Only one of my Pokémon remains after so many years so this will be a one on one match."

"Fine by me," I mutter and throw my pokeball releasing Snivy. She was curled up in a ball fast asleep. Nice first impression of a trainer.

The gym leader threw his pokeball releasing a giant rock snake pokemon. It was gargantuan compare to my tiny Snivy. I didn't know the Pokémon so this was as a good time as any to use my Pokedex. I just remembered this one wasn't mine. I took it out anyway. It opened by dividing itself in half gapped with a blue grid. I pointed it at the giant Pokémon and 3-D model floated above the screen with details like its weight and height next to it.

In an electronic voice it said, _"Onix, the rock snake Pokémon. As it grows, the stone portions of its body harden to become similar to a diamond, but colored black._

Onix seemed old just like its trainer. I wondered if I could use that to my advantage.

"Onix, Tackle!" the gym leader commanded. The Onix roared and dashed tearing apart the field. Snivy hadn't woken up.

"Snivy! Get up!" I yell but she didn't move.

The Onix drew near and if Snivy didn't move it was over before I even started. Snivy eventually got up and stepped to the side easily dodging the huge creature. She wasn't scared.

"Onix!" The gym leader yelled, "About face and use Crunch!"

Onix quickly adapted by turning around to bite Snivy. I didn't know what moves Snivy knew which in hindsight I should have known before this match. I thought to use Tackle as well. Maybe she knew Tackle. Before I said anything, Snivy released these vines from her back using them to snap Onix's mouth shut. She was even strong enough to halt Onix. I needed something to complement the attack. "Snivy! Uh…turn Onix onto its back!" She did, but then she sends a seed onto Onix which wrapped itself all the way around Onix trapping it. It withered around, but soon stopped. Did I win?

"Hmph, looks like Onix is down for the count," The gym leader said, "You win." Onix returned into its Pokeball before the gym leader came up to me. "That sure is a smart Snivy you got there. You didn't even need to command it." I didn't know if that was a compliment or not. He then handed what he called the Boulderbadge, my first badge. "That is an official Pokémon League Badge. Eight of those will grant you access to face the Elite Four. Just seven more."

Snivy refused to return into her Pokeball making me give in and let her roam outside of it. Her haughty attitude became apparent when she had her hands to her hips and her pointy nose in the air. I was happy, too, but wasn't for the long trek towards the next town or was it a city? I don't know, but the old gym leader said to go to the PokeCenter to rest up which I didn't object to. The elevator music set in and then,

"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." I return Snivy to her Pokeball and hand her over to Nurse Joy.

I sit in the empty lounge area and pick out a magazine to pass the time. I think I'll stay here for a while. Then, I hear a ringing noise like a phone. I thought it was the C-gear, but it was actually the Pokedex. It opened by itself and on screen it was that guy that almost crashed into me. He seemed to be lounging on a couch while drinking something from a straw.

"So, how did you like getting your first badge?" he said.

"How…how do you know?"

"My Pokedex records data from the trainer's battle history. It records loses, wins, Pokémon caught, badges, y'know, the works. I have it all recorded on PC right here at home, but that's the beauty of it! You don't need PCs or Pokegear or whatever anymore because it also stores mail, Pokémon, and whatever else that Bill Nye the science guy created years ago."

He seemed quite young to make this by himself, "How old are you?"

"Twenty."

"Why so young?"

"When I was a kid, I loved me some Pokéman that and a love for electronics had something to do with it?"

"This is an evasion of privacy," I say.

"Don't be mad at me. You're the one who stole my invention and left me with this dinky, second grade machine." He held up my red PokeDex in front of the screen. "Anyway, I don't even want to know how you're abusing that delicate piece of machinery. What I want is my invention back and I want it back soon."

"Sure," I shrugged, "I don't want your stupid toy. You can have it back."

"Awesomesauce, looks like we reached an agreement." He buzzed out, but then came back on the screen. "By the by, what's your name?"

"Kuri," I answered.

"Felix, charmed. Actually, before we buzz out again I should mention I won't be heading in that direction. I'm actually out in the country making business deals concerning that Pokédex. I'll meet you in the next town since I'm closer there."

"The sooner the better," I say.

"Good, see ya in a couple of days."

Geez, that Nurse Joy was sure taking a long time. The last time we were here, it took only a couple of seconds to remedy Snivy. Yeah, like, what the hell? I shouldn't have to wait this long! I walked over to the counter to demand to know what was taking so long. I found nobody there not even the Chansey.

"Hello?" I asked leaning over the counter, but still no answer. "Hello?" Nothing, but the sound of my own echo resounded off the walls. I just noticed how quiet it was all of a sudden. I was alone in this derelict place.

I looked around and found a door way in the back ajar. Is this where they take Pokémon to be healed? This aroused my curiosity. I took a deep breath knowing that I wasn't supposed to be doing this. If I stayed here any longer I would die of boredom. I crawl over the desk and peeked an eye through the crack of the door. Nothing but a hallway was in my limited view and I didn't hear anything either. I open the door slowly just to be sure and slowly walk through the doorway. A grimy hallway stared back at me just warning me to turn back now. I didn't. I tip toed my way through the silent hallway. It was silent enough the irritant buzz of fluorescent light was made apparent. I hate that noise. I didn't where to start to look for Snivy. Too many doors to choose from so I picked from random. The first one I chosen was a room for surgery. Nothing. Another down the hall was empty, too. I check through another hallway, but just empty rooms. Where do they put the Pokémon? While I traversed down the hallway, I heard a strolling noise. Must have been someone who worked here. I hid myself on the corner of the wall. I peeked to see down the bisecting hall and see a stroller pulled by the Chansey. Strapped on top of the stroller was a Pokémon. I really hoped Chansey doesn't pull that thing to my hallway. It didn't. The Chansey brought it inside a room right across from me. After a moment or two had passed, the Chansey emerged from the room and went on its merry way. I decided to inside the room Chansey just left because maybe I would find Snivy in there. I'm sure there is nothing horrible in there.

It was really creepy in here. It wasn't at all what I expected. The room was dimmed walls lined with shelves full of jars. I didn't recommend looking inside because they were filled with Pokémon parts and what I'm guessing but not hoping to be their innards. Ugh…why would they have this here in a PokéCenter? I would understand a lab maybe, but here? Anyways, I wondered what happened to that Pokémon I saw carried in here. I didn't dwell too much on the thought because I was here for only one Pokémon. I quietly left the room surveying the area to be in the clear. I was safe, for now. I traverse through the numerous hallways until all of them began to look the same. I had no idea where to go! Everything looks the same! I come across a short hallway that leads to a wall. On the left side was a window that allowed me to see inside of a room. Inside was a salon chair with many wires coming directly above it. These wires connected to a helmet with a light bulb strapped to the top sitting on the floor. Across from the chair was a projection screen blinking many images that didn't have any clear relevance from the last to the next. It was random. A door was on the far wall and I jump to the conclusion Snivy might be in there somewhere. I didn't like this place I'll make that clear and it wasn't safe for Snivy or me. I had to get her outta here and pretty damn fast. I open the door and jolt across the room to the door. I open it to find a room filled with bunch of empty shelves. I look around and find a lone Pokéball. That had to be Snivy. It was the only Pokéball here out of all the rooms I have checked out. I pin the Pokéball to my belt and made it high time to get out of here. I open the door to almost run into Nurse Joy.

"Hello," she said like a robot, "my name is Nurse Joy and I will be tending to your Pokémon as of the moment. Care is free of charge." She wasn't smiling this time. She looked at me with hollow eyes.

She took hold of me, "Hey! Get off of me!" I tried digging my nails into her arm, but no amount of pain fazed the pink-haired nurse.

"Hello," she said like a robot, "my name is Nurse Joy and I will be tending to your Pokémon as of the moment. Care is free of charge." She said over and over pulling me to the chair.

I couldn't move being strapped to this chair. My arms and legs were strapped to the chair. Nurse Joy put on the finishing touch that was that helmet with the light bulb. This helmet had things on it that kept my eye open and every so often Nurse Joy applied the droplets to keep my eyes from drying. It stung! This helmet kept my attention to the projection screen. The images were as such: Flowers, puppies, beaches, lollipops, balloons and the like until I saw other pictures like buildings aflame, fire, profanity, hanged people and Pokémon, and other weird stuff like that spiral from the graffiti. Was that a symbol? I didn't want to look at it so I writhed around trying to free myself. It was no use, but I had Snivy. I had to get her out. The straps on my arms seemed old and my hands are skinny. If I wiggled around more I could get one of my arms free and release Snivy. I writhed around hard and made the chair quake. I made the chair tip to its side and I would have fell to the side if it weren't for the helmet. I did fall but the strapped on helmet kept me on the side. It tugged on my head and hair. Snivy's Pokéball did fall from my belt and hit the floor. The button was pressed and Snivy was released. I was right. She looked around confused. Join the club.

"Snivy! Use…," I didn't know what moves Snivy knew. They weren't at the top of my head. That didn't stop Snivy. She released these leaves from her body that zipped at the wire attached to the helmet. They were cut off and I crashed to the floor. Ow! I was still stuck to the chair. I tried to get out slowly making my small hands get free. I was almost there! I then heard the door open and saw from my sideways view Chansey. "Snivy…ugh…get ready! Use…that leaf thing!"

Snivy shot out her leaves at Chansey. "Chansey, use Pound to block the leaves!" Nurse Joy exclaimed robotically. Chansey did so.

Snivy then tackled the Chansey hitting it in the stomach. The Chansey recovered, but then was hit with a barrage of Vine Whip by Snivy. Yeah, keep at it! I still try to get out from the confines of the chair. I was almost out. Chansey wasn't doing so well.

"Chansey, use Soft-Boiled!" The egg in its pouch glowed and then all of Chansey's battle damage faded. That's not fair!

A barrage of Vine Whip and leaves attacked Chansey full on while I was almost free. I had one arm free! I was good! It was until the leaves cut up the leather and even cut me. Those leaves were sharp like razors! I was free! Finally! I wanted to get outta here so I picked up Snivy and just dashed past the pink blob. Snivy was not pleased. She tried to get out of my grasp and even bit me. Ouch! She jumped to the floor and faced the Chansey following use. It was fast for being so big. I so wanted to leave so bad, but Snivy wanted to stay. I much rather leave gotta here. Nurse made this easy since she somehow got her hands on that flamethrower. Why would a PokéCenter need that?! I wouldn't find out since this was the deciding factor for Snivy to get out of here. Snivy ran with me down the numerous hallways. I looked behind me to see Nurse Joy on our tail aimlessly blowing the flamethrower. What the hell was wrong with her!? Why would you do that?! The place was on fire now and we had to leave. We finally made to the lobby where Nurse Joy was still trailing us putting everything on fire. Snivy and I head for the door, but it was locked! Oh, God! I banged on the door as hard as I could only to manage to bang up my arm. Snivy helped by using Tackle, but she was too tiny. The door finally whisked open and we fell to the ground. I didn't care even if we were out, I still ran like crazy. I just wanted to forget the events that just transpired and just go to the next dumb town to get the stupid badge. Fuck!

The clouds departed and the sunlight was caught by my newly obtained badge. I thought to take this moment of tranquility and just stare at my first official badge. I wasn't as proud as Snivy whose nose was still pointed in the sky. If she did that any longer her head would be stuck like that. It would fit her personality. She didn't seem at all bothered by what had happened which I guess is the best way to deal with it. The mood would be totally better if I hadn't spent most of my savings on new gear and food for Snivy and me. Our next destination lied east of Ochird, but I didn't know what the town was called. After almost an hour and a half of walking through mountainous terrain and shrubbery, I thought to sit down and have lunch my stomach being the deciding factor. I laid down the blanket and opened my boxed lunch. I set up a bowl of Pokémon food for Snivy.

"Snivy," I whistled, "I got your food." She looked at me and then just huffed before looking the other way. She used what I now know as her Vine Whip to collect some berries from a nearby bush. "But I got this food just for you!" she didn't care she just lay down on the blanket as she munched on her berries. Her attitude was really getting on my nerves. She thinks she's so important for getting that badge all on her own. Well, I helped too!

Solace was interrupted when a siren wailed from nowhere. Snivy and I looked in the direction the siren came from. A blue and red light flashed and dashed past us in a blur. It was a police motorcycle. What was going on? Was a crime committed just now? I was compelled by curiosity to know what was going on. I packed everything up much to Snivy's dismay because it put an end to her nap. She had to follow me as I ran across the dirt path in the direction of the motorcycle. Just over a hill, a large mountain rose as high as the clouds. The mouth of this mountain was closed off by police tape. I also noticed a black and white motorcycle stationed at front of the entrance with a policewoman standing next to it. The blue and red light still blinked. I wanted to know what was going on so walked upon the scene. The policewoman had the same colored hair as I did, but mine was a much lighter shade of blue than hers. Her hair color actually matched her attire. Her brown eyes seemed empty, but her gaze shifted to me.

She extended her arm, "Halt! I, Officer Jenny, have been given strict orders to keep any and all intruders from trespassing!"

"Why, what happened?" I asked.

"Halt! I, Officer Jenny, have been given strict orders to keep any and all intruders from trespassing!"

This is just like Nurse Joy back at the PokéCenter except less annoying without the ever prevalent smile and perky attitude not to mention the hellfire. I did not want to fuck with this shit.

It turns out that the mountain is the only way to get to the next town. Felix's Pokedex had an installed map of the region and this mountain called Mt. Gibbous is the only path onwards. I had to find a way around that guarded entrance. I know I said I didn't want to get in trouble, but what other choice did I have? Officer Jenny was my main problem standing at the entrance like a statue, but there had to be another way inside. The Pokédex had information on Mt. Gibbous saying that the town had mined the mountain for its iron ore, but stopped because it disrupted the inhabiting Clefairy's environment. So, there might have been an old mining shaft somewhere. I had to return Snivy to her Pokéball and find my own way around. It took until nightfall when I finally found a way in. It seemed that somebody had already used this as a way in because a cable transport as means to use a ropeway conveyor. The containers were large enough to hold a person which was good enough for me. The cycle began from a tree close by which dumped the contents on the ground. There was large pile of rocks I thought to be iron, but that can't be. Isn't that illegal? Upon closer inspection and result of snooping around, I found behind some bushes nearby the conveyor a white van. Something was going on here, but it doesn't matter much to me I just want to get to the next town.

I had to steady myself in a container that made its way outside. I was pretty sure these weren't use for joyrides so I kept myself from moving even an inch. I enter the inside of the mountain to realize I was hanging hundreds of feet into the air. Someone was definitely excavating something from this mountain. Lights hung from above illuminating the inside. Below, I wasn't the only person here. A bunch of people all dressed in the same black clothing were mining the area for the iron deposits. I also saw Pokémon helping out. I even saw a working railway system using carts to haul large quantities of iron. Who was running this operation? It was quite impressive despite being illegal and all. I leaned over my container going against my better judgment. I heard the cranking noise coming from the cable system getting louder. When I look up, the pulley keeping this container up in the ceiling was creaking. I feared for the worst. The rope breaks causing the container to tip over. I fall back inching away from the fall. The container flips over and I fall down. I hit against a manmade slope rolling downward. Jagged rocks poke hard at my skin scraping my arms and legs. I cover my face until I hit the flat bottom. From top to bottom my body ached, but I could still move. I managed to get up slowly until I was on my feet. I hear popping noise and in a white light came out Snivy from her Pokéball. She was dizzy, too. When finally finding her step, she looked around and then at me.

"I don't think we're supposed to be here, Snivy…," I say to her, but just looks at me like I'm an idiot.

_"__Hey, did you hear that?"_

Crap! They heard me! We had to get out of here and fast! Snivy followed my lead as I trudged my way forward. My legs were still banged up from the fall. That didn't stop Snivy from going forth without me. We pass by several piles of rocks until we see several white vans parked next to each other. How did these get in here? Before I could postulate a plausible reason, we heard voices. Snivy and I pressed ourselves to the van. I look off from the side and see two men muttering to one another. I couldn't tell what they were saying, but something else caught my attention. Both of the men wore those dorky spiral glasses and I noticed the same spiral on the van I hid behind. I then thought back to the PokéCenter and the graffiti. Did they paint that on? Who are these guys? While in thought, a blue bat screeched right in front of me. I let out a scream which alerted those men. The men ran around the van to locate me. We were exposed.

The two gave me a more polite reception then I thought they would. I was instantly creeped out when they bore a greedy smile. They licked their lips and it was then I knew what they wanted.

"Look what we got here!" one of them responded with glee.

"A pretty young lady," the other reciprocated. A cold chill went up my spine and Snivy felt the same way, but stood her ground. "If you comply with us nicely then we promise not to hurt you too badly."

"Not in your life, creepo." I said, "Snivy, get ready."

"Oh, looks like we have a tough bitch in our mitts," one of them said.

"A tough bitch, indeed."

Both of them took out a Pokéball and threw it. A large purple cobra and large purple bat appeared. They looked evil. Just to know what I was up against, I took out the Pokédex. The 3-D model popped up for the cobra.

_"__Arbok, the poison snake Pokémon, the frightening patterns on its belly have been studied. Six variations have been confirmed_._"_

And then for purple bat,

_"__Crobat, the poison bat Pokémon, it flies so silently through the dark on its four wings that it may not be noticed even when nearby._

"Alright, Snivy…," before I could utter an attack Snivy swoops in quick with leaves zipping from her body at the two Pokémon.

The Crobat flaps its four wings to blow away the leaves. Snivy didn't stop there. When the wind stopped, Snivy zipped past the battle ground to confront the large Pokémon. I was about to say another attack, but she wouldn't listen.

"Arbok!" one of the men ordered, "Use Wrap!"

Arbok launched itself at Snivy, but she jumped behind the Arbok and landed on its body to run across the slippery creature to tackle Crobat.

"Crobat! Dodge!" the other man ordered, but Snivy use her Vine Whip from the behind to grab onto Arbok and throw it up and back on top of Crobat who was also in the air. They both crashed onto the floor in front of Snivy.

Snivy jumped back to my side waiting for an attack from the other side. Good job, I guess. The men ordered each other's Pokémon to attack Snivy, but she performed her own tricks to evade and hurt the two Pokémon at the same time. I was impressed that she was able to all this on her own without a command. I felt left out just like at the gym.

"I'm really getting tired of that damned Snivy," one of the men said. Once they found an opening the two men ordered their Pokémon to Tackle Snivy. They did what they were told and launched themselves at Snivy. At the last moment, Snivy jumped over them, but Arbok used its tail to grab onto Snivy's tiny foot and pull it down.

"Crobat! While it is down, use Bite!" the Crobat swooped over to Snivy.

I yelled for Snivy to get out of the way, but she couldn't. The Crobat bite into Snivy after which Arbok threw the injured Pokémon over at the pile rocks I passed earlier. They didn't finish there. The two men ordered their Pokémon to dog pile Snivy, throwing her around like a ragdoll, and wouldn't relent. It was scary to watch. This wasn't a battle anymore. The two men taunted us by laughing and pointing out how pathetic we looked.

"Stop!" I yelled, but they didn't. "You won! Leave Snivy alone!"

Snivy wouldn't have it. She wouldn't fall. "Awww," one of the men taunted, "you want us to stop? You give up?" I nodded. "Well, too bad you can't get out of here because now you know too much." What did he mean? "Ohhh…," he clapped his hands, "…looks this battle is going to be extra fun! Arbok use Wrap on the girl!"

What? The Arbok released Snivy from its teeth and came for me. Pokémon weren't supposed to do that! Who the hell are these guys? The Arbok constricted me with its oily body. Each second the Arbok got tighter to the point where I could hear my bones crush. I groan in pain and try to ask Snivy for help, but she couldn't move either. She was beaten. I, on the other hand, was to the point of suffocation. Everything was going black, but then a rumbling commenced like an earthquake. Soon an explosion commenced making Arbok loosen its grip.

"Ugh, those new recruits don't know how to use pyrotechnical equipment," one of them muttered.

Everything began to rumble and stalactites fell from the ceiling from what I could see and even the lights fell from above. I couldn't move or wasn't really aware what was going on. I laid flat on the ground motionless along with Snivy across the floor from me. She didn't move and I thought she couldn't either. As far as I knew, those maniacs had abandoned us and left us to die. I couldn't do anything to save ourselves and at any moment we would be crushed by the falling rocks. Soon, the rumbling had slowly subsided and everything was quiet. Hours had gone by and my body refused to move. Snivy just lied there, too. Those Pokemon really did a number on Snivy. She fought her best, but it wasn't enough. Maybe her ego had finally deflated and she decided not to do anything about it. Perhaps she was dead because she hadn't move for several hours. I wasn't as sadden by the thought. Maybe she thought I was dead and just didn't bother to be totally sure. I don't blame her, I wasn't totally sure about her either. We had no motivation because we were beaten. Actually, I think neither of us had any motivation to begin with even at the start of this stupid journey if you can even call that.

"Snivy…," I was parched, "…are you okay? Can you…move?"

She just laid there like a louse. I didn't want waste what little energy I had. Ugh…it just hurt to move. I managed to turn myself on my back looking at the last remaining light that hadn't fallen. It was our only source of light and it was barely keeping itself on. It blinked several times taunting us as our last glimmer of hope, if we actually had any.

The hours slipped by and then…I actually had no idea how much time had passed. Days could have gone by for all we know. I finally realized was alive since she was shaking. It was getting cold in here, I could feel it too. Man, I was thirsty. I had the right idea, though. The stalactites above me dripped droplets from their tips. The water dripped onto on my tongue and slipped down my dry throat. The water was cold, at least. Some of the water dripped onto my forehead which was soothing as well, but sometimes just plain annoying. My head was beginning to hurt now, no, it actually began to burn. I had a fever. I was sick. I was already sick to begin with. What the hell was I thinking? A sixteen year girl going out on a adventure with no company besides a Snivy with nary an intention on listening to me? I had nothing in Razzmic. No family. No friends. No nothing. No one would know I was here. I will die in some mountain and no one with know. What a way to go. I will be easily forgotten, too. No one to mourn over me. I'm just some girl. A really stupid girl! I hate this! I want out of here! I couldn't do anything about it, though. I can't move. The days are slipping away without me. It was like being back at home where I just stay in my bed under the covers. No one is coming for me. I was lost in the darkness with no help. I wondered what Snivy thought of all this. Did she have friends? Probably not. She did have Prof. Ebony. Oh, God, I won't miss that annoying lackadaisical nonchalance of hers. Would Snivy? Ohhhh…my stomach was hurting! I haven't had anything to eat for the past; I'm gonna say, three days. God, this is all getting boring. Why don't I just die already?

Ugh…I hate that empty feeling you get when you're starving. I then thought of something. I still had that Pokemon food Snivy didn't eat. I bought it special for Snivy just after I got that badge. When you haven't eaten anything for several days, you'll just about eat anything. I'll eat fucking bugs for God's sake. I couldn't feel my arms. They felt like I've slept right on top of them all night. God, I miss my bed. Anyway, I had to will myself to move my arms. They felt all fuzzy. I shuffled my backpack off and zip it open to get out the Pokemon food. I was about to chow down until I saw Snivy looking right at me. So, she was alive after all this time. She looked at me with tired eyes. Ugh…I don't care if this brat stares at me while I eat food meant for her. I tried to, but my conscience wouldn't allow me to. It just stopped me from eating. So, I still had a conscience after all. I took one look at Snivy who had her eyes set at me. She was so small so beaten. She was the only one working hard this entire journey. I have just stood and watched her fight her own battles. I smiled at her.

"You must be more starving than I am, right?" It was extremely hard as my legs were glued to the ground, but I managed to barely lift myself. God, it hurt to move. I inched over to Snivy. "You didn't eat this, remember?" I smiled as I held up the container of Pokemon food. Snivy had her jaw open looking at me clumsily walk over to her. She then returned to her unimpressed countenance only reserved for when I fell flat on my face. I still wasn't even close to her. I didn't give up. I moved much like a snail wiggling my body to move closer to Snivy. When I used all of my reserved energy, to reach Snivy I held the food to her.

"Here. This isn't people food. I bought this specially prepared food for you after your victory with that old man at the gym. You have it. You earned it." I gave her my biggest smile. She was stunned. Her mouth dropped and her eyes began to well up. At least I'll leave some everlasting impression on her as I die. It was actually short lived because then Snivy got mad and slapped the food out of my hand. It landed far away from us. "You are such a stubborn brat, you know that?" I wouldn't let her get to me though, so I said this with a smile. "I should have picked that stupid pig or that hyperactive otter. They were obviously better picks then some loner. I picked you purely out of spite because of how annoyed you were when you first saw me. I don't get what Prof. Ebony saw in you, but what else should I expect from her. You are just as miserable as I am." I planted my face to the ground. I didn't want her to see me crying. "That's why you're so detached from those other Pokemon. You hate everyone because you…," I looked at her and saw that she, too, was crying. What I had said was true. We were the same.

Then a crash happened. I look to where it came from and saw a gaping hole in the wall nearby. There was a shadowy figure standing from the piercing light. "So, when are you going to give me back my invention?" It was Felix.

I have never been so happy to see the sun in a long time. Snivy and I were carried out by a team of people who blew the hole in the mountain to rescue us. Felix had hired them to do the job. I asked how Felix found us and he said that he installed a GPS device into the Pokedex. That is how he found us. He then asked me how I got into the mountain. When I explained it to him he said,

"Man you sure are stupid. You were lucky you didn't die."

"Felix, who were those people with those glasses?"

"No one really knows, but people call them The Ballistics for their love of pyrotechnics. They go all around the country causing mischief and mayhem for no real reason, but just to cause it. They kill people and Pokemon and sometimes use them to fulfill their plans. They are people you do not want to mess with. Stay away from them, I implore you."

I took a deep breath of fresh air and take out his Pokédex. "I guess you want this back."

We waved his hand, "Nah, you keep it."

"What? It's yours."

"You have taken good care of it and after what you and your Snivy have been through, you have earned it. You have put to better use than I have. It is just a prototype, anyway, I have plenty other better models."

"Okay, then, what do I tell Prof. Ebony about the Pokedex she given me?"

"It would be best if you don't mention me around her."

"Why?"

"Let's just say she was an old flame of mine." What? Before, didn't he say he was like twenty or something? "You owe me anyway, and if you keep this project a secret from her then we will be square. Sound good?"

I didn't want to argue with him, "Sure, whatever."

"Alright, well rest up, kiddo."

"Oh, and Felix," I say before he leaves. He stops to hear what I have to say. "Thank you for saving me and my Pokemon." He nodded and left us to rest in the ambulance. This hot chocolate they gave me tasted better than any hot chocolate I have ever tasted. I looked down at Snivy enjoying her Pokemon food. "How are you feeling?" I didn't expect an answer.

Instead, Snivy hopped on my shoulder and licked my cheek. She was better. I was better.


End file.
